Thai woman bitten after mistaking snake eggs for mushrooms
Victim's husband rushes her to hospital carrying dead viper in plastic bag
A Thai woman in Buriram province mistook snake eggs for mushrooms and attempted to collect them, prompting a snake to attack her yesterday, September 7.
Her husband, 50 year old Bancha, rushed his 62 year old wife, Chalaem Pinsuwan, to Nang Rong Hospital with the dead snake in a plastic bag at around 9.30am. The snake was later identified as a Malayan pit viper, known in Thai as a Kapa.
Chalaem was bitten on her right middle finger. Doctors immediately administered antivenom and kept her under close observation. She will only be discharged once her blood tests confirm the absence of venom.
Speaking to ThaiRath, Chalaem explained that she had been collecting mushrooms in the Khao Khok Forest with her husband when the incident occurred. It was her first time foraging, encouraged by neighbours who were reportedly earning 1,000 to 2,000 baht per day from mushroom sales.
The couple had left home at around 5am and climbed the mountain, gathering three buckets of mushrooms. On their way back, Chalaem noticed some small white balls under the leaves on the ground and mistook them for mushrooms. When she tried to pick them up, the snake struck.
She shouted for help, and Bancha quickly spotted the viper and killed it before rushing his wife to the hospital by motorcycle. He later said he was fortunate to know the forest paths well enough to get her to treatment in time.
The local community leader told Channel 7 that many villagers and outsiders flocked to the forest this year to search for mushrooms, as abundant rainfall caused more varieties to grow than in previous years.
A local rescue team also reported that three other villagers were bitten by snakes on the same day as Chalaem.
The Malayan pit viper is one of Thailand’s seven most venomous snakes, alongside the king cobra, cobra, green pit viper, Russell’s viper, banded krait and Malayan krait.
Its venom affects the blood system, causing severe bleeding at the bite site, rapid swelling and possible tissue necrosis, which can lead to gangrene. If untreated, it may result in dangerously low blood pressure and even death.
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